A. Applicability. Projects eligible for expedited processing are described below. Application types to be expedited include site plans (and corresponding applications including land use amendment and rezoning), plat, building permit, as well as inspection processes.
1. Eligible Uses. New and expanding establishments in the following industry categories are eligible for expedited processing:
a. Bioscience;
b. Medical or pharmaceutical research and development;
c. Aviation/aerospace/engineering;
d. Communications;
e. Information technology;
f. Business and financial services (non-retail);
g. Manufacturing, fabrication and processing; and
h. Education related to the above industry clusters.
2. Economic Development. Projects sanctioned by the State of Florida or other recognized economic development organization (Florida Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development (OTTED), Enterprise Florida, or Business Development Board of Palm Beach County).
3. Affordable and Workforce Housing. Residential developments that provide affordable housing and/or workforce housing units.
4. Sustainable Development. Projects must be registered with a nationally recognized green certification agency, including but not limited to:
a. USGBC – United States Green Building Council;
b. FGBC – Florida Green Building Coalition;
c. Green Globes; and
d. NAHB – National Association of Home Builders, National Green Building Standard.
5. Mixed-use development.
a. Development applications for mixed-use development within the City’s Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). Eligible projects must involve the MU-1, MU-2, MU-3, MU- 4, or MU-Core zoning district, include a site plan application, and contain a commercial component; and
b. Development applications for mixed-use development located outside the City’s CRA. Eligible projects must also be zoned, or be the subject of rezoning to the Suburban Mixed Use Zoning District, or be located with the Quantum Park Planned Industrial Development District, contain a commercial component, include a site plan, and include a minimum of five (5) acres of land.
B. Benefits of Program. Entities that have been accepted into the expedited permitting program shall receive the following benefits:
1. Point of Contact. The City Manager, or designee, shall appoint a single point of contact at the city who shall have the responsibility of assisting the applicant throughout the development application and permitting process;
2. Timetable. The Planning and Zoning Division, Building Division, Engineering Division of Public Works, and other applicable city departments shall establish the necessary steps required for project approval and permitting in a pre-application meeting and subsequently, within three (3) business days, prepare an optimal timetable for the project's completion of the development and application review process;
3. Priority Review. The project shall receive priority at every phase of the review process by city staff, including face-to-face meetings as needed. However, public hearings are subject to the availability of the relevant board and the decisions of such boards are not guaranteed to be made immediately. Therefore, to the extent possible, public hearing scheduling shall be expedited if applicable to a particular development application;
4. Comments. Comments relative to review by the 1) Planning and Zoning Division Planning; and 2) Building Division shall be provided to the applicant within seven (7) business days of the submission of a completed development application. The city and the applicant shall make a mutual commitment to provide all other development and permit application review comments and corresponding revisions thereto in a thorough and timely manner;
5. Building Permits.
a. Permits Issued on Basis of Affidavit. Consistent with the Florida Building Code, local administrative amendments and F.S. § 553.791, the applicant may be responsible for private plans review and inspections with the filing of a sworn affidavit from a registered architect or engineer affirming conformance of plans to all applicable technical codes. For buildings and structures, the affidavit shall state that the plans conform to the laws as to egress, type of construction and general arrangement, strength, stresses, strains, loads and stability. However, for projects located within special flood hazard areas, this benefit shall not apply to flood load and flood resistance construction requirements of the Florida Building Code.
b. Fee Payment Schedule Agreement. The applicant will be eligible to propose a schedule for the timing of fee payments, to include permit fees and local impact fees, tailored to meet the financial and scheduling needs of the project. Certain legal limitations may apply, and this provision supersedes any conflicting regulation, or operational policy.
6. Conflict Resolution. Should any issues arise at any point during the development application review and permitting process, the city will use the most expeditious means to resolve the issue. A face to face meeting between city staff and the applicant's representatives, if necessary, shall be scheduled within three (3) business days of the applicant's notification of the issues.
(Ord. 10-025, passed 12-7-10; Am. Ord. 19-025, § 2, passed 8-20-19)